


sing me like a choir

by mademoiselle1



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Kissing, Lots of kissing, M/M, OT9 - Freeform, So be warned, Stray Family Feels, also this is like eighty percent crack, bc i love minwoo, but only towards the end, for his birthday, lapslock, okay i lied there is angst in this fic, slight minwoo, tbh this is just an excuse to write minho getting all the kisses he deserves, that's what you get for writing a romance into what was supposed to be a platonic fic, there is no angst in this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-07 04:04:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16400972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mademoiselle1/pseuds/mademoiselle1
Summary: changbin sits down on the bed again and takes minho's face in between his hands. minho's confusion is deep but short-lived because that's when changbin kisses him.the members prepare a special present for minho's birthday. he is thrilled. woojin just knows that minho will be insufferable about this.





	sing me like a choir

**Author's Note:**

> this is not beta'd and english is not my first language. i apologize for any mistakes.
> 
> the title is from troye sivan's BITE.
> 
> happy birthday minho! light of my life, bias of biases, i hope you never read this. ♡ 
> 
> enjoy.

**before**

"you all know what the plan is?" chan asks, looking at every member with vague concern buried in the wrinkles his furrowed brows are digging deeply into his forehead. he is fiddling with the rings on his fingers nervously, turning the metal around and around and around - until woojin has enough and grabs chan's arm to stop his fidgeting.

"you've made us repeat the plan three times already," jisung complains. "i think we got it now."

chan doesn't seem to pick up on jisung's annoyed tone of voice, he only nods jerkily and mumbles "yes, yes, you're right" under his breath but that doesn't mean woojin doesn't notice the younger's disrespect. when he catches jisung's gaze, he narrows his eyes in warning. jisung immediately turns his head the other way and pretends he didn't see anything. brat.

"can we go through the plan once more anyway?" everyone groans when chan speaks up sheepishly. jisung looks like he's tempted to grab chan's shoulders and shake him wildly while screaming at him to come to his senses, please, it's enough, they've suffered too much already. woojin has put way too much thought into this scenario. he's tempted to do it himself just to see if it will turn out as he imagines.

chan distorts his lips into what could be a tentative smile but could be a grimace just as well. "please? i'm just scared that we'll screw this up somehow or that he doesn't like it. i mean, it's his birthday. it's supposed to be perfect, right?"

"no, you're talking about minho's wedding day," jeongin replies, bored and entirely unhelpful.

"he'll love it, chan. you worry too much." god bless kim seungmin, the only member of the group who doesn't seem to be working against woojin.

"yeah," felix pipes up in support (woojin mentally adds him to the list of members who are on his side; right under seungmin, the only other name on that list), "it's cute that you want it to be perfect but it's also kind of annoying."

(nevermind)

woojin sighs. it's his turn to be supportive and encouraging now. "chan, you know minho. he'll love it so much, he'll be insufferable for _weeks_."

chan presses the balls of his hands against his eyes and stays like that for a second. then he sighs deeply and hangs his head in defeat. "yeah, alright. his wedding day will be nothing compared to how perfect this birthday is going to be."

 

**now**

there are two things that minho is absolutely sure of in this confusing, fast-paced whirlwind of events that is an idol's life.

number one: he loves all of his members with every fiber of his being, irrevocably and intensely. they are his family, his support in harder times and the glow of their smiles, the warmth of their embrace or the security of their reassuring words have never failed to comfort minho when he was at his lowest. because he trusts them to see him at his lowest where no cameras or staff or fans are allowed to see him.

number two: no amount of love can save his members from their own idiocy. minho's members are dumb, sometimes, especially when they think they're being sneaky.

it starts like this: on the morning of his birthday he is not being woken by the shrill alarm of his phone like usual but by gentle fingers stroking his hair and scraping lightly over his scalp. minho hums in pleasure and slowly opens his eyes to see changbin kneeling next to the bed, wearing a fond expression on his face while massaging minho's morning headaches away with what feels like magic fingers.

"morning," minho croaks out, his voice thick with the last remnants of sleep pressing him down into the mattress like a warm, heavy blanket. or maybe that's his actual warm, heavy blanket that makes his body feel limp and pleasantly numb. nevermind.

changbin has a small grin on his lips and if minho didn't feel caught in another dimension between waking and sleep, he would realize that changbin is laughing at him and his helpless, miserable state.

"good morning, sleepy head," changbin says, amusement lacing his voice and minho can't _not_ realize now.

"yah, are you making fun of me?" he growls or he tries to growl but it sounds more like a tired kitten hiss.

"i would never," changbin grins. minho doesn't trust that grin one bit. changbin is a dirty dirty liar.

usually he would argue with changbin but all of his energy right now goes into not falling back asleep so he leaves the younger be. for now.

"what time is it?" minho wants to know. he could roll on his side and try to reach his phone next to the bed but the thought alone feels draining. changbin takes his phone for him from the night stand and shows him the screen. 6:43. minho groans.

"you woke me up way too early!" he groans again, the most pitiful sound he can muster - which is damn pitiful, if you ask minho - and rolls nearer towards changbin where he buries his face in the younger's shoulder.

"you usually wake up at seven," changbin replies, unimpressed by his dramatics.

"way too early," he insists. he lifts his head out of changbin's shoulder and clutches one hand in the soft, worn-out t-shirt he's wearing. changbin doesn't look impressed when minho tries to pull him towards him with a weak tug on the fabric between his fingers. minho looks up as innocently as his big, round eyes and pouting bottom lip allow.

"oh my god, what do you want?" changbin asks impatiently and a bit annoyed.

"cuddle with me?"

"why." it's not even a question, but a plea to a higher being to end his misery - preferably by striking minho with a lightning bolt and turning him to ashes right at changbin's feet. minho has heard this tone of voice often enough to know exactly how changbin is picturing his death in this moment.

he decides to answer the not-question anyway.

"because you're obviously the birthday-morning-committee and supposed to distract me from going to the kitchen where the others are preparing god-knows-what." minho grins at changbin's shocked expression. "so distract me by cuddling."

changbin wordlessly lifts minho's blanket and crawls under it. minho sighs in satisfaction when he wraps his arms around changbin's small, perfect-for-cuddling form and pulls him against his chest. "good to know that i still know the right words to get cute boys into my bed."

changbin groans and tries to wriggle out of his grip but minho is definitely stronger than him. "shut up."

"is that any way to talk to the birthday boy? you're so rude, you didn't even congratulate me, yet."

sighing, changbin turns in his arms so they're lying nose to nose. minho can feel changbin's exhales ghost against his skin in soft puffs of breath and his inhales in the lifting of his ribcage so that it brushes lightly against minho's chest. their position would be intimate if not for the glare changbin sends his way.

"it doesn't make sense to congratulate you on your birthday if i'm not glad that you were born."

minho pouts. "ouch. i'm just gonna pretend you didn't hurt my feelings and continue to cuddle you. is that alright?"

changbin doesn't protest (much) when minho wraps his limbs around him like a small octopus which is how he knows that changbin doesn't mean his words at all. he loves minho, just as much as minho loves him. their bickering is fun but it's always nice to have a reminder.

when they eventually do have to get up, minho swears that he has to wake changbin from a light doze in his arms. it's almost cute how changbin lifts his head from where it's lying on minho's chest and blinks his eyes slowly but the way he glares at minho when he laughs is terrifying.

right before he goes, though, to leave minho the privacy he needs to make himself presentable (it's his _birthday_ , he has to look good), changbin sits down on the bed again and takes minho's face in between his hands. minho's confusion is deep but short-lived because that's when changbin kisses him.

the press of changbin's lips against his is hard and purposeful. changbin intends to kiss minho senseless, and he does. minho doesn't have the mental capacity to panic about morning breath and changbin kissing him (holy shit!) at the same time. when he tries, all his brain can come up with is _mhm_ and _he's a better kisser than i thought._

changbin separates them with one last, surprisingly chaste kiss but he doesn't go far. "happy birthday, minho," he whispers, so close that their lips brush once again. then he's gone, out the door before minho can even blink.

"what the fuck?" he breathes. then, louder, "you're a great kisser, changbin!"

even through the closed door, minho can hear him laugh. "i know."

\--

while minho expects everyone to be in the kitchen when he leaves his room, he can't say that he's really surprised when only chan is there, back turned to him, doing - _something_ to a pile of cream on a plastic plate. the day has been weird and he's only been awake for about twenty minutes.

"chan?" the leader turns around with a caught expression, moving quickly to cover the cream monstrosity very poorly with his body. minho doesn't really know how to react to that. "what are you doing?"

"um." chan's gaze goes everywhere but to minho's face. "nothing." minho is completely convinced. his face probably reveals what he's thinking about chan's acting (which is not much, just a lot of disappointment and a bit second-hand-embarrassment) because chan grimaces after finally risking a glance at minho's expression and laughs sheepishly.

"okay," he sighs. "maybe i'm decorating your birthday cake right now which is why i would kindly ask you to leave the kitchen and go to the living room, please?"

oh. so that cream... _thing_ is supposed to be a cake. minho hopes that it will look better after chan finished decorating.

minho grins at chan whose shoulders visibly relax in relief when he hears minho say, "sure." before he turns to actually change locations, though, he pauses. "chan. do you maybe know anything why changbin -" _kissed me just a few minutes ago?_ minho contemplates how weird it would be to ask that question and comes to the conclusion that he doesn't want to risk a potentially awkward hyung-dongsaeng talk. it always reminds him of his father explaining the birds and the bees when he came into puberty even though their school had already taught a sex-ed class.

minho always secretly thought that talk traumatized him into being gay.

"nevermind. good luck trying to make that disaster look like a cake!" he quickly disappears from the kitchen to not give chan the opportunity to ask questions. chan splutters at his words and that's all minho can hear before he slams the door shut.

\--

minho finds most of the other members in the living room, lounging on the couch and watching tv with bleary, half-opened eyes. it's still morning, after all, and most of them are not morning people. the only ones missing are chan, woojin and changbin. which means minho is alone with the maknae line. it's rare that they're as quiet as now.

"good morning!" minho greets them brightly. he gets a few groans and slow blinking as a response. "isn't today beautiful? there's no schedule, just a bit practice, the weather is nice -"

jeongin interrupts him. "we get it, it's your birthday. congratulations, hyung." he sends minho a sleepy glare and if it wasn't so cute, minho would be offended.

"yes, thanks for noticing." he smiles widely at the youngest. jeongin just groans and buries his head in the pillow on his lap.

"it's too early for your bullshit," he says, muffled by the pillow in his face. so young, so disrespectful.

next to jeongin, felix, who has his head on seungmin's shoulder, snorts.

"yah, do you think that's funny?" minho scolds. when he doesn't get an answer, hyunjin leans forward to look around seungmin at felix's face.

"you know what," he says. "i think he's asleep."

seungmin rolls his eyes and shrugs felix off his shoulder. felix immediately jumps up, eyes wide open, a shocked expression on his face. his hair looks like he walked through a small hurricane.

"i'm awake! i mean i've been awake the whole time! yeah." he laughs sheepishly when the others just stare at him, their faces showing varying degrees of amusement.

"right," seungmin says drily after a few seconds of silence.

"it's too early," felix whines, trying to justify himself. "why do we have to practice so early in the morning? it's not fair."

while the others are arguing with felix that being an idol has to have its perks and downsides, jisung tugs gently at minho's sleeve. minho is a little surprised that jisung hasn't said anything yet because usually he is one of the louder members, even in the morning.

"hyung?" he has this grin on his face that almost certainly promises trouble. minho _loves_ this grin. "can we go to my room? i want to be the first to give you your present."

"hm. okay," minho agrees, curiosity peaked.

jisung's grin grows even wider. he grabs minho's hand and practically runs out of the living room, minho stumbling behind but laughing at his excitement.

jisung shares his room with changbin, hyunjin and jeongin but it's dark and the beds are empty when they enter. jisung leaves the lights off, only the slowly rising sun casting a soft glow through the windows.

"sit on the bed and close your eyes," jisung instructs. minho can see that he's trying to be serious but the curved corners of his lips betray him.

he does as he's told, if only to humor jisung and see his half-smile turn into the giddy, real one he can't suppress anymore. with that image in mind, he closes his eyes.

"and no peeking," jisung warns, his voice suddenly much closer. minho half-opens one eye curiously but jisung immediately puts his hand in front of minho's face.

"i said no peeking." his voice sounds kind of strangled and a bit hesitant. minho can feel his breath now ghosting over his lips. he's beginning to catch on to what jisung's present is going to be.

the first press of jisung's lips against his is soft, barely there; more the ghost of a kiss than an actual kiss itself. then minho feels jisung place one hand on his jaw to angle his face better. with his other hand he tangles his fingers in minho's hair and cards through the soft strands gently. minho basically melts into him.

jisung's kisses are drastically different to changbin's but, at the same time, just as intense. where changbin had been the hard press of lips against lips, jisung keeps things soft, chaste. it makes minho's lips tingle and warmth pool in his stomach. where changbin had held his face securely between his hands, jisung is caressing the skin above his cheekbone gently with his thumb. where changbin had been quiet, purposeful confidence, jisung is gentle and careful enthusiasm.

they have to part eventually; minho suspects that they kissed way longer than jisung originally planned because his eyes are glazed over and his cheeks flushed cutely.

"that's your present?" minho giggles, out of breath and probably just as flushed as jisung.

"yeah," jisung grins. "do you like it?"

"i love it. there's just one thing -" he hesitates and jisung immediately panics.

"what is it? oh god, did i do something you didn't like? did i overstep some boundaries? i'm so sorry, hyung, i didn't mean -"

"jisung," minho interrupts his rapid monologuing calmly. "it's nothing like that. i just wanted to let you know that you're not the first one to give me a present like that today."

jisung's face goes through an almost comic change of expressions. first, he blinks slowly at minho like he's trying to understand his words, then his face loses all color just to go bright red in the next moment.

"noo, that's so unfair! do you know how early i woke up today to get you just after you got up?" he pouts and minho would find it cute if he wasn't laughing so hard. "who was it?"

"changbin."

"i _hate_ him," jisung declares. at this point, minho isn't sure if his giggles didn't turn into hiccups somewhere along the line. "but, hyung," jisung leans forward and places his hands on minho's thigh. he looks up at him with big, innocent eyes. minho is immediately suspicious.

"i am the better kisser, though, right?"

minho laughs. "no comment." jisung sighs but gives up and leans back again. "so, can i expect more presents like this from the other members?" minho wants to know.

jisung grins smugly. "i mean, not _exactly_ as great as this one, but similar, i guess, yeah.

the thought fills minho with giddy excitement. "good."

the other members seem to run out of patience because soon after that hyunjin opens the door and sticks his head through the crack.

"are you guys done, yet?" he asks, keeping his eyes tightly closed until they give him the okay. minho makes sure hyunjin can see him rolling his eyes at the younger. "chan wants everyone to come into the living room."

"we're coming," jisung says, waving him off. "give us a minute. there's still something we need to... _discuss_."

minho quickly catches on to what jisung is trying to do. he winks at hyunjin. "or stay. whatever you prefer."

hyunjin shoots them a disgusted look, though, despite the darkness, minho is sure that his cheeks are bright red. "you two are the worst." and then he quickly slams the door shut.

minho and jisung meet eyes and promptly break out into laughter. "that was hilarious," jisung giggles. "did you see how red his face was?"

minho nods, his entire body shaking with laughter. jisung looks at him with this fond look in his eyes and minho stops laughing just to return his gaze with a soft smile. jisung surprises him by kissing him again, this time shortly. he pecks minho's lips once, twice, before finally standing up and saying,

"we should really get going. chan will kill me if i'm the reason you're late to your own birthday party."

\--

although this is more like minho expected his birthday to go, he can't say that he dislikes this part. chan walks into the living room, woojin has to hold the door for him, carrying a giant cake made entirely out of cream (and, okay, it looks delicious) 'singing' _happy birthday_ \- bellowing is probably the more fitting word. the other members, all sitting around minho and grinning at him, immediately join in. in moments like this it's hard to believe that they make music for a living because everyone purposely sings as out of tune as possible. it sounds beautiful.

actually, it sounds painful but what's beauty without a little pain?

there are nine candles on top of the cake, one for each member. minho looks at his members, his friends, his _family_ gathered around him, grinning excitedly at him, and he feels his throat momentarily close up. the moment is gone as quickly as it came, though.

"minho, you're getting nine years old?" felix asks scandalized.

"you're getting old," woojin responds to that, shaking his head in disappointment. the rest of the members are busy trying to suppress their giggles and (because they're not very good at that) actually giggling.

minho looks at them with his best i-am-so-done-with-you-idiots look. "i hate you all," he says.

chan rolls his eyes. "stop telling obvious lies, you have to blow out the candles before jisung does it for you." he sends a pointed glare towards jisung who retreats from the cake sheepishly where he had been watching the flame flicker in the breeze his exhales directed at the candles create.

"fine." minho leans closer towards the cake (pushing jisung gently out of the way) but hesitates when he realizes he can't think of an appropriate wish. of course, there are a few generic ones coming to mind - be happy, be successful, stay surrounded by your friends. but he doesn't really have to wish for that. he _is_ happy. their group _is_ successful (they just won the new hallyu rookie award!) and he knows that the nine of them will stay together for a long, long time to come. so, really, he doesn't have a wish and he finds that that's okay, too.

he blows out the candles.

"what did you wi-" hyunjin begins but gets cut off by seungmin pushing his shoulder.

"you're not supposed to say that!" he hisses.

minho shrugs, grinning mischievously. "it's fine. i just wished for all your eye brows to fall off," he lies.

"then i'm glad that you told us and it won't come true," changbin mutters.

"eh," minho waves him off. "i don't believe in that stuff anyway. much safer and faster to do it yourself."

everyone simultaneously takes a step back from minho. "please don't shave off my eyebrows," felix pleads. minho is kind of insulted, kind of proud, that they wouldn't put it past him to actually do this.

he says, "i'll think about it." everyone groans in frustration.

\--

minho thinks it's a bit unfair to have him sweat in a practice room on his birthday. honestly.

he has been in this room for over five hours now, and it shows. his bangs are sticking to his forehead with sweat, little beads dripping from the tips of his hair and trickling down his nape into the collar of his sweat-soaked shirt. he feels disgusting, but also energized. he feels _good_.

that's what dancing does to him. it drains him and fills him with joy at the same time. it's a give and take that feels exhilarating, every time, no matter how often he repeats it. he is addicted to the highs that balance out the lows, even making them tolerable, because he knows from years of experience that, on this road, after a down the way always goes uphill again.

two hours ago, most of the members left the practice room to continue their vocal training, or write lyrics, or just to take a much needed break. since then, felix, hyunjin and minho have been dancing alone, working on a new choreography that has to be done next wednesday. they still have plenty of time and they're already halfway done but the three of them are perfectionists and they prefer going over the details a hundred times over rest instead of practice and therefore sloppy moves. the problem with being perfectionist is, though, that they can come up with good choreography anytime pretty quickly - but good isn't enough, it's not _perfect_. minho doesn't have enough hands to count on his fingers how often they had to cut a few moves, or even the choreography of a whole minute, or change the hand movement here, or correct the foot work there. everything they cut up until now has been good. good but not perfect.

minho is exhausted. his head is swimming with _step one, two, three, da, da-da dah, seven, eight, turn! and one, two_ -

"let's take a break," hyunjin speaks the magic words that makes all three of them instantly collapse to the floor, chests heaving, hair fanning out around their heads like dark, wet halos.

"great idea," felix sighs after a few minutes of heavy breathing, all of them greedily sucking in the stale air of the practice room that smells like soapy cleaner and sweat. "let's just... lie here for a while. maybe sleep. only for a week or so."

"for a year, please," minho groans. his headache is receding bit by bit but his eyes are hurting. he blinks a few times then rolls onto his side, changing from staring at the ceiling and directly into one of its dusty lamps to staring at felix and hyunjin lying on the floor like rag dolls. his eyes don't hurt anymore. weird.

he catches felix and hyunjin exchange a strange look before they turn to meet minho's gaze. "what? is there something on my face?"

"yeah, sweat," hyunjin grins.

"ha ha," minho deadpans. "what are you doing?" he asks when hyunjin slowly moves to stand up, sighing like that's the most exhausting thing he has done all day. he only walks a few steps until he stands next to minho who is now sitting up, not wanting to look at hyunjin from his position as someone close to death. he tries to imagine his grave stone and finds that he doesn't particularly like the words _here_ _lies lee minho, beloved friend and son, not a multitasking talent, too dumb to dance and breathe at the same time -_

"i need to check that you're not dying," hyunjin says while sinking surprisingly gracefully to the floor. "you do look like you could sleep for a year."

minho playfully glares at him. "i look gorgeous, thank you very much."

"yes," felix says and minho jumps because he never noticed him move from one end of the practice room to the other where minho and now also hyunjin are. "the sweat and the flushed cheeks are very charming."

"oh shut up," minho groans but he is smiling.

"like this?" felix asks innocently and minho is about to ask him what he's talking about when felix kisses his cheek. the touch of his lips to minho's skin is soft and barely there but then felix kisses him again, this time on his temple, the press of his lips more firm. "or like this?" he speaks against minho's skin and minho can feel felix's lips stretch into a smile before he leans back to look at minho's face.

"um." minho has kissed both changbin and jisung today in a much sexier way but it's these both kisses from felix (one on the cheek and one on the temple) that make him stutter and blush like a high school girl that got noticed by her crush. "uh, um."

"no no, i think you're doing it wrong," hyunjin scolds. he grins at felix and minho doesn't like that mischievous curve at the corners of his lips - it's usually promising bad and embarrassing things for minho. "i'm pretty sure you need to do it like this."

he leans forward and softly kisses the tip of minho's nose. his giggle when he breaks the touch is almost unbearably cute. minho feels his own blush deepen when he sees hyunjin's lightly flushed cheeks, his lips still uncontrollably giggling. his body is shaking with laughter and when he moves to plant another kiss, on minho's forehead this time, minho can feel the vibrations of his voice, almost rhythmical as it follows the up and down of his shoulders and the wide stretch of his smile.

"you think that's the right way?" felix asks. hyunjin doesn't answer and when minho looks back at felix, he realizes that felix is looking at him and not at hyunjin.

"uh." he can't believe that he's still speechless. that's never happened to him before. "i don't know?" he doesn't intend to phrase it like a question. "that was not what i was expecting." he chuckles weakly.

felix hums amusedly. "no, i guess not. you were probably expecting something along the lines of -" he gently pecks minho's lips. "this?" minho just stares at him, mouth hanging slightly open, unable to respond. felix grins like that reaction was exactly what he was hoping for. it probably was.

"well," hyunjin suddenly speaks up and sits up straight. "that was fun but we should get back to practice." he grins when minho and felix both groan at his words. "happy birthday, minho." the smile he throws minho's way is unexpectedly sweet but his yelp when minho grabs his wrist and pulls him forward, is much more entertaining.

minho finally finds his voice again at hyunjin's surprised expression. "not so fast. you still owe me a real kiss," he says brightly.

hyunjin rolls his eyes. minho almost expects him to wriggle out of the loose grip he has around hyunjin's wrist and ignore minho's words but hyunjin surprises him by pressing his lips quickly to minho's. the kiss is long enough for minho to slowly exhale through his nose while gently pressing back at hyunjin's lips and then hyunjin retreats just as quickly as he started it.

"okay!" he says embarrassed, pointedly ignoring the way his face is flushed and not looking at either minho or felix. "i think we're done now."

felix pouts and grabs minho's hand petulantly. "that doesn't seem fair to me," he protests.

"you just want to avoid going back to practice," hyunjin says accusingly.

felix grins at him. "that's right. so let me just -" he doesn't finish his sentence but cuts himself off by turning to minho and kissing him. again. not that minho is complaining.

minho automatically closes his eyes at the first puff of breath against his lips but he can hear hyunjin groaning behind them. "you two better make this quick. we still have a dance to choreograph."

minho can feel felix smiling into the kiss.

\--

it's late afternoon when minho finally has free time again. he is lying on the couch, freshly showered and hair still slightly damp. the tv is on but the volume is lowered and neither minho nor woojin who is sitting on the other end of the couch, minho's feet in his lap, are paying attention to whatever drama is currently playing. on the little glass table in front of them is laid out an untouched deck of cards that minho had brought because he hoped to play with woojin but woojin is a coward who says that he won't play with him if he cheats. minho isn't denying that he cheats, it's just no fun playing fair.

"soo," minho disrupts the quiet, comfortable air between them, wriggling his toes playfully under woojin's watchful gaze.

woojin looks up questioningly. "what?"

minho shrugs nonchalantly. "i was just wondering - wouldn't now be the perfect time to give me my birthday present?"

woojin sighs exasperatedly. "you want a kiss." he furrows his brows at minho. "you know you're not supposed to ask for it yourself?"

minho just grins. "and if i say please?" he sits up on his end of the couch and quickly crawls over to where woojin is sitting. with a tiny smile and half lidded eyes he leans carefully towards the older.

"hmm," woojin hums as he amusedly eyes minho's attempt at suave persuasion. "no."

minho sits back immediately and pouts. "you're no fun. why not?"

woojin huffs a small laugh and stands up from the couch. "because i like not giving you what you want." minho gasps, appalled. "let's save the best for last." and then he actually _winks_. minho is kind of impressed. kind of turned on, too, to be honest.

too bad that woojin chooses that moment to make a dramatic exit and leave minho alone with a still untouched card deck and cheeks that feel a little heated.

"god, i'm glad i didn't have to watch you two make out," a voice behind him says, making minho jump and nearly fall off the couch. "i should have more faith in woojin." it's seungmin, of course it is. no one else has that dry tone and the ability to make an eye roll into something you can _hear_.

"why are you even here in the first place?" minho groans, massaging his knee after he banged it on the glass table in surprise.

"my drama started a few minutes ago. i wanted to at least catch the rest of the episode," seungmin explains. "your little talk made me miss most of it, though. at least you making an embarrassment out of yourself was entertaining." minho decides to ignore that last comment.

"you could have just said something if we interfered with your drama time," he says, feeling guilty.

to his surprise, seungmin laughs. "well, it _is_ your birthday. it's the one day all year i'm contractually obligated to be nice to you."

"contract with whom?" minho asks suspiciously.

"chan."

minho nods because yeah, that sounds about right.

they decide to watch the end of seungmin's episode together. turns out, minho felt guilty for nothing because seungmin had already watched the whole drama three times and had therefore not missed anything.

"can i ask you a question?" minho asks. he lied down again but now he has his head on seungmin's thigh. he is not really watching the tv. his eyes are only half open, seungmin absently playing with strands of his hair has lulled him into a weird state between dozing and being awake.

seungmin hums quietly. it's his non-verbal way of saying _sure, go ahead._

"do you really think woojin deserves more faith from you?"

"in terms of what?" seungmin says just to be a little shit because he knows exactly what minho is talking about.

minho rolls his eyes even though seungmin can't see it and minho doesn't possess his ability to translate his eye roll into speech. "in terms of me, dumbass."

seungmin stays silent for a few long moments. it makes minho uneasy, shifting his position so he can look at seungmin's face, his cheek pressed against the other's jeans. it's more comfortable than you'd think.

"i don't know," seungmin finally admits, eyes cast downwards, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. he looks up at minho when minho lifts a hand to gently squeeze his thigh. he sighs. "i'm sorry, i really want to help you."

"i know. thank you." minho speaks the words softly because he suddenly feels overwhelmed with affection for the younger. he and seungmin may be constantly arguing and contradicting the other just for the hell of it, but that's all show and they both know it. seungmin is the only one minho told about his crush on woojin; the decision to do it had been almost easy. seungmin is trustworthy because he can keep a secret and minho knew from the start that if he had to tell someone it would end up to be seungmin. it turned out to be the right decision. without seungmin's objective perspective as the uninvolved third party minho would have run to woojin to tell him about his feelings about five times in the past month alone, the temptation born out of frustration at woojin acting oblivious to what minho was doing.

seungmin saying he should have more faith in woojin just confirms minho's worries that his advances will turn out to be hopeless.

"god. i just feel so pathetic, you know?" minho's voice is slightly muffled by his cheek still smashed against seungmin's thigh. "i mean, i've been trying to get his attention for more than three months now, and he still doesn't notice me. that's usually the universal sign for _he doesn't like you like that_ , right?"

"i guess," seungmin replies.

"do you think i should give up?" minho asks miserably.

"no."

one more thing that made minho confide in seungmin of all people: he's honest, brutally so. the truth is rarely something minho wants to hear; he'd rather be told that he's right and that it's the world that's wrong and cruel. but minho is not dumb. he knows that being coddled won't solve any of his problems in the long run. if he wanted to avoid his feelings he wouldn't have gone to seungmin who, he knows, will make him face the uncomfortable truth deliberately.

"no," seungmin repeats. "giving up is only an option after you've tried everything and woojin still acts like a dense idiot."

"but i did try everything," minho protests.

seungmin meets his gaze with an unreadable expression. his eyes are serious; not that that's unexpected given the situation but something in minho tells him there's more to it than he thinks. then it clicks.

"uh-uh," he says, abruptly sitting up so he can be on eye level with seungmin. "must i remind you how often you told me _not_ to do the exact thing you're suggesting right now?"

"i didn't say anything," seungmin says innocently but minho is not falling for his act. he sees the younger's mouth curve in that way that means he's suppressing a smile.

"i can read your fucking mind, seungmin, and i know that you thought it," he hisses. " _you_ were the one who said i shouldn't tell woojin to his face how i feel because it could go horribly wrong!"

"yes, well, i changed my mind." seungmin shrugs.

minho wants to say something, something cruel and mean, because he kind of feels betrayed by seungmin's nonchalance, but instead he forces himself to breathe in and exhale slowly and remember that seungmin just wants to help. his advice has always proved helpful yet.

"okay," he says. "let's play cards." if seungmin is surprised by his sudden dismissal of the topic, he doesn't show it.

"hm. what do i get if i win?" seungmin wants to know. of course that's what he asks first. not that minho doesn't cheat or something. no, seungmin is a just as notoriously unfair player as minho himself.

"my eternal admiration and respect," minho suggests. he laughs when seungmin grimaces at that.

"forget it," he says. "i'll think of something."

minho takes the cards in his hands after that and starts to shuffle them. in his head he's already thinking about how to win against seungmin because minho may be good (even better when he cheats) but seungmin is nearly unbeatable. the members play often when it's game night and they have modified the rules heavily to accommodate for how easily they get bored with games like this. the objective of the game is to bluff your way to victory which means the members that tell the most believable lies end up winning. usually those members are seungmin, minho or jeongin with seungmin clearly in the lead.

well, minho will make sure that his winning streak ends here today.

(of course, that means minho loses the first round.) "fuck," he tells seungmin when he turns the cards the younger just put down around and discovers a king and an ace. seungmin has been grinning since minho began looking at the cards suspiciously but now he is outright laughing at minho. minho pouts while adding the cards on the table to the ones in his hands. it's becoming a struggle to hold them all.

"best out of three?" he asks and seungmin nods.

"that means you have to win the next two rounds," he taunts. "think you can manage that?"

minho snorts. "children's play. this was just a warm-up."

(he then proceeds to lose the second round as well.) seungmin deliberately puts his last two cards down slowly and confidently and announces "twenty-six."

"no way," minho immediately denies and turns both cards over. "what?" he says dumbly when he sees the two kings. seungmin is laughing again. "best out of five?" he tries sheepishly. seungmin laughs even harder but agrees.

this time minho is sure that he can win. he has about a third of the whole deck in his hands, nearly all of the high value cards, plus a few he added by himself (two aces, three kings and one queen).

(seungmin doesn't need to know that)

he starts with a three and a five, both facing down. “eight,” he says. seungmin answers with "eleven", minho with "fifteen", seungmin with "sixteen". for a while they're just putting cards down without anyone accusing the other of lying. minho is sure that seungmin has been lying the entire time but he doesn't dare turn the cards over and discover that he chose the one time he told the truth. again. seungmin probably knows that. he definitely knows that, judging by the provocative upturn at the corners of his lips.

"twenty-seven," minho finally declares loudly. he places one ace, facing up, and one king, facing down, on the table and grins triumphantly at seungmin. he only has two options now: accuse minho of lying and lose this round because minho did not lie (he may have cheated because neither the king nor the ace have been in his hands originally but still); or try to lay a twenty-eight, two aces. the thing is, minho knows for a fact that seungmin at most has one ace if he hasn't already played it because minho had had the other three in his hands.

seungmin returns his smug grin with an amused one of his own. he wears his poker face as ever. then he places two cards in front of them and -

"twenty-eight." he didn't even bother to hide that they're two aces; minho would have to see them anyway since they're the highest possible play.

he stares disbelievingly at the cards, then at seungmin. "what - how?" he stutters before his mouth falls open in realization and he points a finger at seungmin accusingly. "you cheated! oh my god," he breathes. "is this what betrayal feels like?" he presses one hand against his chest above his heart and pretends to swoon. seungmin just rolls his eyes at his dramatics.

"stop that," he sighs. "it's not like you didn't cheat just now. i won." he smirks. "and three times in a row at that."

minho immediately stops his antics to glare at the younger. "this is why i hate losing to you. you're so smug."

"you hate losing to anyone," seungmin counters. "i think you're just a sore loser." minho decides not to even dignify that with a response. he is _not_ a sore loser. he is a very good loser. look, he'll even let seungmin have whatever price he deems appropriate for his (unfair and cheated and undeserved) win. he is _such_ a good loser!

"so what do you want?" minho prompts.

"huh? oh, you mean my price?" seungmin grins. he leans forwards so that he's nearly nose to nose with minho. minho frowns confused but doesn't flinch away at their sudden proximity. "let's keep it traditional. the winner gets a kiss."

minho snorts a laugh at these words. "i don't think that's much of a punishment for me."

"i'm not trying to punish you for losing," seungmin says, grinning. "i want to reward myself for winning."

"well," minho replies, slowly leaning backwards and out of seungmin's personal space, "i can't say i blame you for wanting a piece of _this_." he gestures down his body with a wide grin, winking at seungmin. seungmin rolls his eyes exasperated but he is smiling.

"come here already," seungmin says, still with that expression caught between exasperation and amusement on his face.

minho has the fleeting thought that having a friend who can't appreciate your wit (read: takes none of your bullshit) is almost too exhausting and insulting to put up with on a daily basis. that thought stems from seungmin cutting minho off immediately when he opens his mouth for a clever (stupid) response. said thought is only fleeting, though, because seungmin cuts him off by kissing him and minho is too much in love with his members and gets too excited at the prospect of kissing one of them to be able to think anything at all when it actually happens.

kissing seungmin feels liberating. seungmin lets minho be in control of the kiss but not without putting up a bit of a playful fight. minho feels all the stress he still has about the woojin situation (although he has managed to shove it to the back of his mind with the distraction of the card game) dissipate with every movement of his lips against seungmin's, with every exhale of his breath that mingles with seungmin's, with every touch of his fingertips at the exposed skin of seungmin's bare arms, of his neck, his face.

the other way around, minho can sense seungmin's distress and worry in the way he presses back against every touch of lips against lips, the way he subtly tightens the grip of his hand on minho's waist. when they break the kiss, seungmin leans his forehead against minho's, eyes still closed and brows slightly furrowed, and whispers, "i'm sorry for pushing you like that. but you really shouldn't give up on woojin just yet." they're still so close that minho can feel every hard consonant that leaves seungmin's lips on his own.

he shakes his head and seungmin opens his eyes to meet his gaze. "what are you sorry for, idiot? you're helping me," minho responds, similarly whispered. he kisses seungmin again, this time short and soft. "if anything i should be thanking you. thank you."

seungmin snorts. "you're ridiculous. but you're welcome." minho just grins in response.

\--

most of the members are still gone from the dorms when minho notices how hungry he is. he originally planned to pester one member (preferably chan) so long until they agreed to cook dinner for him but those plans seem to have failed before they even started. minho is not ecstatic about having to cook himself but it's better than a bag of chips for dinner. again. reluctantly, he takes a package of ramen out of the cupboard and puts a pot on the stove. he is not surprised to find the fridge nearly empty but he does find a few sausages that look edible, an egg and also one last slice of cheese. they would have to go grocery shopping soon.

he starts to cut the sausages into small bite-sized pieces while the water in the pot is slowly boiling. when a hand suddenly tries to steal one of the sausages, minho nearly cuts his finger in surprise. "holy fuck! shit. are you - stop laughing, idiot, i nearly lost my finger!" he glares at the culprit until he finally stops laughing at minho's traumatic experience. jeongin is still grinning amusedly, though, when he takes a bite from his (stolen!) sausage. minho pouts exaggeratedly at him. "you're always so mean to me. one of these days, i'm gonna tell chan," he threatens, only half serious.

jeongin nearly chokes on his sausage with the sudden laugh that breaks out at minho's words. "you're kidding," he says. "i'm chan's favorite, he would never believe you."

minho would argue if jeongin wasn't right. "you're lucky you're cute," he mumbles, sulky. to his dismay, jeongin grins his cutest smile at that, mouth stretched wide, eyes forming two crescent moons and nose scrunched in a way that raises in anyone the urge to coo over him and hug him tight to one's chest. minho fights against the urge to do exactly that. jeongin has too much power already, he doesn't need minho's unconditional affection, too.

"you think i'm cute, hyung?"

minho's resolve is melting like butter in a hot pan. who is he kidding, jeongin has him wrapped around his little finger. he lets out a strangled sound instead of an answer that gives jeongin's grin a smug edge to it. minho hates him.

"what do you want?" he asks defeated. "except for stealing my dinner and bullying me, of course." minho is surprised when jeongin's grin suddenly vanishes and his cheeks blush a noticeable red. the youngest stays silent for a moment in which minho can only stare at him, stunned. "what?" he asks eventually when the silence gets too stifling and he too impatient. "what is it?"

"i can't tell if you're being dumb on purpose or if you actually don't realize," jeongin mutters, avoiding minho's gaze. he is shifting nervously from one foot to the other, playing with the hem of his shirt to give his restless hands something to do.

minho watches him fidget for a few seconds, even after realization hits him. usually, his first instinct would be to tease jeongin for being embarrassed but not ... not when he actually looks _uncomfortable._ "jeongin." he nearly flinches himself when jeongin flinches at the sound of his voice. minho frowns when jeongin's gaze stays glued to the floor, his cheeks still burning red. he wants to hug him but jeongin looks like he'll flee from the kitchen at one wrong step in his direction. instead, minho turns the stove off and takes the pot from the hot surface (hey, safety in the kitchen is important) before leaning against the countertop, brows furrowed worriedly. "i don't know what's wrong and you don't have to tell me but you should know that, no matter what you guys agreed on for this present, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. okay? you know that, right?"

if possible, jeongin blushes even deeper. he shakes his head hesitantly. "i know that, and it's not that, i promise. it's just ... _really_ embarrassing."

minho breathes a sigh of relief when he hears that. "shit," he smiles softly, "you really scared me for a second. can i hug you?" he thinks it's okay but he wants to be sure jeongin is not going to jump at the slightest touch. jeongin finally gathers the courage to look up and meet minho's gaze. he has his lips pressed together and the redness of his cheeks doesn't seem like it will fade any time soon but he nods. minho carefully envelopes the younger's stock-still form in his arms. jeongin sighs when minho cards with one hand through the soft strands of his hair and relaxes enough to bury his head in minho's shoulder. it's the first time that minho notices how small the height difference between them is. he used to be able to tuck his chin on top of jeongin's head; now an impossible concept.

"i'm sorry," jeongin says, voice muffled by minho's sweater in his face. minho wants to tell him that there is nothing to apologize for but jeongin is already talking again. "i don't even know why i'm this embarrassed. when we were discussing the idea, i was so excited -" he falters.

"it's okay," minho reassures him. "thinking about doing it and actually doing it are two completely different things. it's normal to get nervous or overwhelmed."

"but it's just a kiss," jeongin protests.

"it doesn't matter what it is," minho argues back. "and if you wanted to do it then but changed your mind now, that's completely fine. if you want i won't tell anyone and say you were the best kisser out of everyone." jeongin laughs faintly at that. "does that sound good?"

"no. no, hyung, i - i haven't changed my mind." he steps out of the embrace. minho lets him after stroking his bangs out of his eyes fondly. "i still want to kiss you," he whispers like he's sharing a secret with minho that the others are not allowed to hear. he is also looking at the floor again like he thinks minho might reject him which is utter bullshit but jeongin seems hellbent on being insecure about this.

"that's good," minho says and grins when jeongin looks up at him. "because i still want to kiss you, too."

jeongin hesitantly grins back. "seems like we're on the same page, then." he steps forward and it's obvious that he tries to hold minho's gaze but there's a split second in which his gaze falls down, to minho's lips, before his eyes flicker up again. "um, so. i haven't actually done this before."

"yeah, i figured." minho takes another step forward so that they're almost nose to nose. it's weird that they're nearly the same height, he thinks. "i can show you. if you want."

jeongin whispers, " _okay,_ " and that is all the encouragement minho needs to cover the last centimeters between them and press his lips gently against jeongin's. he pretends not to hear the way jeongin sucks in a surprised breath at the sudden touch or the way his fingers clutch onto minho's shirt. they stay like that for a few seconds, just reveling in the closeness and the softness of each other's lips, breathing the same air. then minho turns his head a bit to the right and with his hand on jeongin's cheek (now more in his hair, to be honest) turns jeongin's head a bit to the left. he doesn't want to overwhelm jeongin again so he tries to go slow when he moves his lips, waiting patiently for jeongin to try to mimic the movements of his mouth.

"this is nice," jeongin says when they both back up a bit and grins.

minho grins back. "does that mean you want to do it again?"

jeongin rolls his eyes and answers, "obviously." minho can't help the laugh that escapes his lips right when jeongin is going in for a second kiss. it's not so bad because jeongin is also grinning so the kiss is more them laughing and accidentally clashing their teeth together. "ow," jeongin giggles when minho's teeth catch not so gently on his bottom lip.

"sorry," minho apologizes but he's giggling as well. he sighs and leans his forehead against jeongin's. "do you feel better now?"

"yes. thank you." jeongin closes his eyes for a moment when minho begins drawing senseless patterns on his back between his shoulder blades. unfortunately, this moment of peace doesn't last for long. minho can hear chan several seconds before he sees him.

"hey, have you - oh, sorry, did i," he laughs loudly when minho and jeongin jump about a foot in the air when chan suddenly starts talking, "did i interrupt something?" of course, jeongin immediately blushes furiously again at that. chan laughs sheepishly. "i take that as a yes. sorry."

"it's fine," jeongin mumbles embarrassed. "we were about done, anyway." minho amusedly finds that he and chan are both smiling endeared at the youngest. jeongin seems to notice, too, because he looks back and forth between them while the blush on his cheeks deepens even further. "um. i better go now, then. bye." he scurries out of the kitchen and past chan in the doorway who manages to ruffle his hair in a moment of inattention from jeongin.

minho laughs quietly when he's gone. "i think you scared him off," he says to chan who rubs the back of his head sheepishly at his words.

"sorry, really. i didn't mean to interrupt you guys, i swear." he smiles apologetically. "i didn't know you were - kissing?" his voice lilts at the end of his sentence like he is asking minho for confirmation.

"yeah, but it's okay. like jeongin said, we were already done when you came in."

chan frowns. "that's even worse!" he exclaims. "that means you were having a moment, god. i have the worst timing." minho just shakes his head, silently laughing. "that reminds me," chan remembers suddenly, "i was looking for you. i wanted to give you this." he takes a few steps forward until he is in minho's personal space (not that minho minds) and gently pecks minho's cheek. he leans back with a tiny grin.

minho frowns. "that's it?" chan furrows his brows in confusion. "you can't be the only member to not kiss me on the lips," minho elaborates. "you're the leader, you have to set a good example." chan rolls his eyes but he seems amused.

"you want me to set an example," he repeats and suddenly crowds minho against the kitchen counter. "are you sure?" minho's mouth hangs open slightly in surprise. huh. that's kind of hot.

"go ahead," he breathes, still a bit stunned by chan's unexpected move. he has never thought of chan as particularly sensual or ardent when it comes to romance; he'd actually thought that their affectionate and soft-spoken leader would be a rather sensible and gentle partner. then again, he did want to leave it at a harmless cheek kiss until minho provoked him so maybe minho's original assumption wasn't so wrong after all.

the kiss starts rather fervently but quickly grows gentle and slow. minho smiles faintly at chan dropping the act to reveal the big softie everyone knows he is. he is not surprised to find that he likes this chan better even though his tough boy facade had been kind of hot.

minho finds that he rather likes the way chan finds his hand with his own and entangles their fingers gently while holding minho's face with his other hand. minho sighs softly into the kiss when chan turns his head just slightly and tightens his grip on chan's hand. chan squeezes his fingers comfortingly. when chan slowly leans backwards, minho blindly follows him, searching for his lips once again. chan laughs quietly when he pulls minho with him to the middle of the kitchen and spins around with him a few times.

minho stares at him, stunned. "are you - are we _dancing_?" he asks incredulously. they are. slow dancing, to be exact. minho is clutching onto chan's shoulders while chan has his arms around minho's waist, slowly swaying them to an imaginary beat. "i knew you were secretly a romantic," he grins.

"shut up," chan complains, laughing. "how is this supposed to be romantic when you're talking the whole time?"

minho punches his shoulder indignantly. he ignores chan's cry of pain. "don't blame this on me."

chan sighs. "i guess there's only one way to shut you up."

"if you kiss me now that will be the most cliche thing you've ever done," minho says right before chan kisses him again. minho's hands automatically find their way into chan's hair and chan tightens his grip on minho's waist, pulling him even closer. it's then that minho's stomach decides is the perfect time to let them know how empty it is. chan half laughs half snorts into the kiss which makes minho laugh and then they are just clutching onto each other in an attempt not to fall to the kitchen floor while their shoulders shake in silent amusement. it's the least sexy/romantic kiss minho has ever had but at least he's greatly entertained.

"oh yeah," minho gasps, his sides aching from laughter, "i wanted to ask you to cook dinner for me."

\--

_23.54_

six minutes left of minho's birthday. six minutes left and still no sign of woojin. all the members have now returned to the dorm and are either in the living room or the kitchen. minho has barricaded himself in his room because if woojin plans to give him his birthday present _on his birthday,_ minho wants it to be in private. he has decided to follow seungmin's advice and confess to woojin because the thought of kissing him without him knowing what that kiss would truly mean to minho feels like using the older.

_23.57_

or maybe woojin already knows about minho's crush on him. maybe he noticed right away when minho started flirting with him in earnest but just pretended to be oblivious hoping that minho would stop on his own. but he didn't and of course woojin wouldn't tell chan because he doesn't want to embarrass minho like that which is why he couldn't oppose to this ridiculous idea of a birthday present. and now he has to choose between kissing minho and giving him false hope or not kissing minho and possibly breaking his heart but at least that whole crush ordeal would finally be over with. minho knows that woojin would try to avoid rejecting him outright because woojin is considerate and fucking perfect like that.

_23.59_

the more of the last minutes of his birthday are ticking by the more confident minho becomes in his theory that woojin just won't show up. he begins gathering his pajamas because there is no point joining the others for a few more hours when there is the possibility of him breaking down in tears as soon as he sees woojin. tomorrow he'll be better, he's always been good at wearing a happy facade, at least long enough until he gets the opportunity to cry on seungmin's shoulder. and then it's just a matter of weeks until he gets over the oldest. maybe months. years. (forever. it's hard crushing on someone you're also living with)

_00.01_

minho is fighting back tears when the door to his room slowly opens. when he looks up, it's through blurry eyes but he refuses to let any of the tears fall. he blinks a few times to clear his vision before he recognizes woojin silently closing the door behind himself again.

"you're late," minho says quietly, carefully because he doesn't know what to expect now that woojin did actually come. "it's not my birthday anymore."

"i know." woojin smiles apologetically but sweetly and minho's chest suddenly hurts. it doesn't seem fair that minho feels so miserable and woojin is the one whose fault that is but he doesn't know a thing.

"you know, it wouldn't have been necessary to come after midnight. i know you think i'm stupid because i didn't get the hints before but if you just didn't come at all today - i would have gotten that hint. this just seems unnecessarily cruel," minho comments, pressure building behind his eyes with every word but he can't seem to stop talking now. "or is this your way of making sure? i _promise_ tomorrow everything will be like it was before, no flirting, no crushes, i'll - i'll get over you and you don't need to deal with this again, ever."

"minho," woojin says and he seems panicked but minho can't be sure because there are tears in his eyes again and woojin looks kind of blurry. "minho, minho, no. shit. don't cry, please." and to minho's horror he wraps his arms around minho's quivering form, pulling him against his chest. "i should have talked to you much sooner, i'm sorry." it doesn't matter how hard minho tries to will the tears away, they spill over and soak the material of woojin's shirt. and how weird is that? minho feels like he doesn't understand anything anymore, least of all what woojin is trying to say. "i swear i didn't notice you had genuine feelings for me until a few weeks ago. i'm sorry that you thought i didn't like you back because i am a dumbass who doesn't know how to deal with his own feelings."

minho has to put a stop to his silent sobs and sniffling to comprehend what he just heard. "wait," he croaks out and steps out of the embrace to frown at woojin. "you like me back?" he doesn't back away when woojin lifts a hand to his face and strokes the tears from his wet cheeks with his thumb.

"i do," woojin says simply. "i really wanted to tell you sooner but i didn't know how. i approached seungmin because i knew you told him about all - this."

suddenly it all makes sense. seungmin's insistence that he doesn't give up on woojin, him acting like it was the obvious solution to confess instead of taking the hint and forgetting about his crush. "that asshole," minho says but there's no heat behind his words. woojin grins.

"he told me to stop crying and confess to you since you have been doing all the work in this relationship."

minho lifts an eyebrow. "relationship?"

"budding relationship," woojin concedes. "if you want. sorry, i assumed after the months of flirting and crushing on me."

minho gently pushes him away by his shoulder. "don't be a smartass. so you're asking me if i want to be your boyfriend?"

"yeah." woojin smiles when he brushes minho's bangs out of his eyes lovingly. "do you?"

"yes," minho says even though it should be redundant because they both already know minho's answer. "but i do have one question." woojin nods encouragingly. "why did you come after midnight instead of saying something earlier today? wouldn't it have been the perfect opportunity?"

"oh. you see, i had this plan." woojin laughs sheepishly. "i, um, i didn't want our first kiss to happen as some kind of present i am obligated to give you and you are obligated to accept. it didn't feel right."

"so you thought if you kiss me a few minutes after midnight it'd be more - romantic?" minho laughs. "you're a sap." woojin sighs exasperated but doesn't protest. "hey, woojin."

"hm?"

"kiss me now."

woojin lets out a startled laugh. "i, uh - okay."

minho puts his arms over woojin's shoulders and buries his hands in his hair. woojin pulls him closer by his hands on minho's waist. this is how minho always imagined first kisses with crushes to go: fireworks. it's because he has heard this particular metaphor in this context so often that he can't get the image out of his head. he secretly guessed it was bullshit but it's good to finally get it confirmed.

this is how his first kiss with his crush actually goes: warm lips, a bit salty from his own dried tears. warm hands, much bigger than his own, sending pleasant shivers down his spine and wherever they touch bare skin. minho gasps softly when woojin's hands slip under his shirt and trace the shape of his hip bone and his ribs. the thick, smoky smell of woojin's cologne familiar, a long-established source of comfort. it's clear that this is not their _first_ first kiss but that's fine. it just shows that they both have made similar experiences with other people but found all of these experiences lacking something. each other. hell, minho kissed seven other people in the last twenty-four hours alone and he still thinks that kissing woojin is the highlight of his day. this is as perfect as not-first kisses can be.

 

**after**

it's a friday, the morning after minho's birthday, that minho stalks into the living room right after woojin sat down on the couch, like he waited for every member to be present before making his entrance. woojin furrows his brows when he realizes that that is actually likely what happened.

"guys," minho declares when he stops in the middle of the room which just happens to be exactly between couch and tv. everyone is looking at him and he seems to preen under the attention, as dulled as it may be by tiredness and light annoyance at having their drama interrupted. "i have an important announcement to make. after extensive research i have finally found the answer to a very, _very_ important question that has probably been bugging all of you since yesterday." he pauses for effect and grins at the members. woojin would lie if he said he isn't at least a little intrigued. "who," minho continues dramatically, "is the best kisser in stray kids?"

a few members (namely seungmin and jeongin) roll their eyes at that but the rest of them is hanging on minho's every word in anticipation. "it must be me, right?" jisung asks and winks at minho. "you already told me i was better than changbin."

"what?!" changbin exclaims incredulously.

"i did not," minho reassures him quickly. "jisung is making stuff up."

"you didn't tell me explicitly," jisung concedes when both minho and changbin look at him reproachfully, "but it was insinuated."

"by _you_!" minho says.

"shouldn't it be me, though?" woojin decides to butt in. "since i'm your boyfriend and all?"

minho looks offended. "i don't pick my boyfriends by kissing abilities! plus, i already liked you before i knew if you were any good."

woojin grins. "aw, that's sweet." minho blushes deeply when he realizes what he just said.

he coughs, embarrassed. "no, look, since i am the only member who has kissed every single one of you," he begins impatiently, "i think it's safe to say," even seungmin and jeongin have dropped their indifferent acts, "that _i'm_ the best kisser in stray kids!"

disappointed and enraged cries from the other members. " _what_?!"

"no, that's not fair, you can't pick yourself!"

"i should have seen this coming," seungmin mutters.

woojin just sighs and shakes his head. he doesn't think that he's able to hide the fond look he gives minho from the others. " _i told you_ he'd be insufferable after this."

 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading, i hope you liked it.
> 
> um, [this is my tumblr](https://mademoiselle001.tumblr.com/) for anyone who's interested. i never post anything!


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